Can gaming be considered narrative? Should gaming be allowed in a pedagogical space? Tabletop roleplaying games are probably not the first thing that come to mind when thinking about how to innovate narrative structure and teaching composition. Often considered a nerdy pastime, participants ridiculed for playing pretend and caring about imaginary characters, TTRPGs have nonetheless entered a sort of renaissance in recent years. While video games have slowly become more incorporated into pedagogy by teaching students more abstract concepts of interactivity with narrative, audience, and player engagement, TTRPGs have been slower on the draw. But incorporating the highly interactive and freeform narrative structure into composition curriculum is far from impossible. In addition to helping students break out of their comfort zones, TTRPG-like assignments can help build community and strengthen communication skills, allow students to explore ownership and leadership in group work, and teach real-time improvisation and problem-solving techniques. TTRPGs are a vastly underestimated and underutilized form of narrative structure and innovation, and deserve consideration as a valid form of composition and pedagogy for practical and theoretical applications.
","abstract_html":"<p>Can gaming be considered narrative? Should gaming be allowed in a pedagogical space? Tabletop roleplaying games are probably not the first thing that come to mind when thinking about how to innovate narrative structure and teaching composition. Often considered a nerdy pastime, participants ridiculed for playing pretend and caring about imaginary characters, TTRPGs have nonetheless entered a sort of renaissance in recent years. While video games have slowly become more incorporated into pedagogy by teaching students more abstract concepts of interactivity with narrative, audience, and player engagement, TTRPGs have been slower on the draw. But incorporating the highly interactive and freeform narrative structure into composition curriculum is far from impossible. In addition to helping students break out of their comfort zones, TTRPG-like assignments can help build community and strengthen communication skills, allow students to explore ownership and leadership in group work, and teach real-time improvisation and problem-solving techniques. TTRPGs are a vastly underestimated and underutilized form of narrative structure and innovation, and deserve consideration as a valid form of composition and pedagogy for practical and theoretical applications.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Atamdede, Aysel"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"English","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ian Barnard","Morgan Read-Davidson","Jan Osborn"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:16Z","subjects":["composition","pedagogy","collaboration","narrative","tabletop","gaming","Other English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/english_theses/33","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ian Barnard","Morgan Read-Davidson","Jan Osborn"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Atamdede, Aysel"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["composition","pedagogy","collaboration","narrative","tabletop","gaming","Other English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/english_theses/33"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Can gaming be considered narrative? Should gaming be allowed in a pedagogical space? Tabletop roleplaying games are probably not the first thing that come to mind when thinking about how to innovate narrative structure and teaching composition. Often considered a nerdy pastime, participants ridiculed for playing pretend and caring about imaginary characters, TTRPGs have nonetheless entered a sort of renaissance in recent years. While video games have slowly become more incorporated into pedagogy by teaching students more abstract concepts of interactivity with narrative, audience, and player engagement, TTRPGs have been slower on the draw. But incorporating the highly interactive and freeform narrative structure into composition curriculum is far from impossible. In addition to helping students break out of their comfort zones, TTRPG-like assignments can help build community and strengthen communication skills, allow students to explore ownership and leadership in group work, and teach real-time improvisation and problem-solving techniques. TTRPGs are a vastly underestimated and underutilized form of narrative structure and innovation, and deserve consideration as a valid form of composition and pedagogy for practical and theoretical applications.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Atamdede, Aysel. Collaborative Storytelling: Composition Pedagogy and Communal Benefits of Narrative Innovation. 2021. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons, https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000257"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Collaborative Storytelling: Composition Pedagogy and Communal Benefits of Narrative Innovation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ian Barnard","Morgan Read-Davidson","Jan Osborn"],"dc:creator":["Atamdede, Aysel"],"dc:description.abstract":["Can gaming be considered narrative? Should gaming be allowed in a pedagogical space? Tabletop roleplaying games are probably not the first thing that come to mind when thinking about how to innovate narrative structure and teaching composition. Often considered a nerdy pastime, participants ridiculed for playing pretend and caring about imaginary characters, TTRPGs have nonetheless entered a sort of renaissance in recent years. While video games have slowly become more incorporated into pedagogy by teaching students more abstract concepts of interactivity with narrative, audience, and player engagement, TTRPGs have been slower on the draw. But incorporating the highly interactive and freeform narrative structure into composition curriculum is far from impossible. In addition to helping students break out of their comfort zones, TTRPG-like assignments can help build community and strengthen communication skills, allow students to explore ownership and leadership in group work, and teach real-time improvisation and problem-solving techniques. TTRPGs are a vastly underestimated and underutilized form of narrative structure and innovation, and deserve consideration as a valid form of composition and pedagogy for practical and theoretical applications.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/english_theses/33"],"dc:source":["Atamdede, Aysel. Collaborative Storytelling: Composition Pedagogy and Communal Benefits of Narrative Innovation. 2021. Chapman University, MA Thesis. Chapman University Digital Commons, https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000257"],"dc:subject":["composition","pedagogy","collaboration","narrative","tabletop","gaming","Other English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["Collaborative Storytelling: Composition Pedagogy and Communal Benefits of Narrative Innovation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:16Z"}